The best streaming platforms for your mental health

Stock-Asso // Shutterstock Mental health is becoming an increasing priority for Americans across the country. 90% of the population believes there is currently a mental health crisis, with top causes attributed to personal finances, politics, personal relationships, and work.  Where do people turn to get their minds off their problems? For many, the answer is television. According to research, there’s an increased correlation between binge-watching and feelings of depression, social interaction anxiety, and loneliness or escapism.  So it’s not much of a surprise that the average American adult watches television for almost three hours daily and digital video for four hours per day. In other words, television content makes up a huge part of people’s lives and is often used as a coping mechanism. Altering daily habits could play a role in improving mental health alongside professional care. That’s why Hers looked at the 10 most popular streaming services in the U.S. to rank them based on three categories related to media consumption and mental health:  Default autoplay: Research shows that most viewers feel that the autoplay feature on streaming platforms tends to result in binge-watching television and spending more time in front of the TV than planned. Some streaming platforms make autoplay the default option, while others allow users to turn it on themselves. Hers scored platforms with the default setting lower than those that require viewers to manually enable autoplay features.  Violent and frightening content warnings: Consuming violent media may result in increased anxiety in general as well as violent dreams when watched before going to bed. Hers looked at each platform’s top original series in 2024 and ranked them by the percentage of shows that had violent or frightening content warnings. The lower the percentage, the better the score.  Number of titles available: Having more options available to choose from helps viewers choose a TV show or movie based on their mood. Streaming platforms with a higher volume of titles available were ranked higher than those with more limited options. Key Findings Disney+ reigns as the best streaming platform for mental health largely thanks to autoplay as an opt-in feature and a diverse content library. Max and Peacock round out the top three streaming platforms for mental health with more non-violent options available compared to most streaming services.  Here’s the full list of the 10 largest streaming platforms and how they rank for mental health. Best Streaming Platforms for Mental Health in 2024